Location-based multiplayer gaming platform

ABSTRACT

The methods and systems disclosed herein include a gaming platform that may support massively-multiplayer online computer games, with elements of social networking, in which players may use mobile devices in order to verify their location and claim a measure of control over the location. Players may function like game pieces in association with other members on a team and participate in competitions to capture and defend real-world territory as part of the gaming experience. The gaming platform and associated entities may share revenue and other incentives with entities associated with the locations controlled by the players on the game platform.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims the benefit of the following commonly-owned U.S.Provisional patent applications, each of which is incorporated herein byreference in its entirety: U.S. Prov. App. No. 60/895,323 filed on Mar.16, 2007; and U.S. Prov. App. No. 60/944,575 filed on Jun. 18, 2007.

BACKGROUND

1. Field

This invention relates to electronic commerce, and more particularly tothe combination of online gaming activity with offline behavior of gameparticipants.

2. Description of Related Art

Search engines and click-through online advertising have revolutionizedhow retailers market to potential customers. Yet, while shopping onlinehas become more popular, consumers, for the foreseeable future, willcontinue to patronize brick and mortar retail outlets.

Up to 100 million Americans (and even more worldwide) play online casualgames. Overwhelmingly these are single-player experiences, yet gaming ishistorically a social activity that provides participants with dynamicinterpersonal activity. Currently, large-scale, community-based, onlinecomputer games like World of Warcraft are designed to attract so-called“hard-core gamers” and can be played by thousands of peoplesimultaneously and deliver a powerful social experience. Yet thesemassively-multiplayer games are not particularly attractive for thecasual gamer, because they require an enormous investment of time andskill.

Social networking websites like MySpace and Facebook have recentlybecome popular by offering a way for Internet users to socialize in anengrossing way. But few, if any, have yet to make money commensuratewith their massive customer base.

Cell phones are increasingly offering more features above and beyondbasic phone service such as e-mail, text messaging, location-basedservices and games. And while cell phone gaming has become more popular,few offer the ability to play with others and socialize. And whilevirtually most subscribers have access to location-based services, thesector has yet to take off.

Therefore, there is a need for a gaming platform that may enableretailers to take advantage of current mobile communication technologiesto drive consumers to their physical store locations, based at least inpart on a massively-multiplayer online computer gaming platform, withelements of social networking, in which people and their cell phones arethe game pieces in team competitions to capture and defend real-worldterritory as part of the gaming experience.

SUMMARY

Methods and systems are provided herein for a multiplayer onlinecomputer gaming platform, with elements of social networking, in whichpeople and their cell phones are the game pieces in team competitions tocapture and defend real-world territory as part of the gamingexperience. In embodiments, the present invention provides a method andsystem for associating a geographic location with a code, transmittingthe code using a mobile communication facility, verifying the codetransmission receipt at a geographic location using a locationverification facility located at the geographic location, andbroadcasting the verification to a network.

In embodiments, upon broadcasting of the verification, a measure isawarded based on the verification. A measure may be a location controlmeasure of a multiplayer game. A location control measure may be basedat least in part on a distance of the mobile communication facility fromthe geographic location at the time of the code transmission. A locationcontrol measure may be based at least in part on a criterion. Acriterion may be a purchase at a geographic location, a visit durationat a geographic location by a player, a fee payment made by a player, areceipt of a sponsor code transmission, or some other criterion. Asponsor code may include a coupon code, proof-of-purchase code, or someother type of sponsor code. In embodiments, a measure may be a territorycontrol measure of a multiplayer game.

In embodiments, the verification may be broadcast to a plurality ofmobile communication facility users. The verification control facilitymay use a local wireless network to identify a mobile communicationfacility of a user that is in proximity to the geographic location.

In embodiments, the game platform may be able to identify whether themobile communication facility is present at the geographic location nearthe time of entering the code.

In embodiments, a geographic location may be a virtual geographiclocation, a retail store, a landmark, a location defined by a mobilecommunication facility user, a ground level location, a subterraneanlocation, an above ground level location, or some other location.

In embodiments, the geographic location of a mobile communicationfacility may be established using triangulation, GPS, geocoding, humanverification of location, or some other location finding or verificationtechnology.

In embodiments, a code may be associated with a game scenario or aplurality of game scenarios.

In embodiments, a code may be transmitted by calling a phone number,sending an SMS or some other form of text message, using a website orsome other means of transmission. In embodiments, transmission of a codemay invoke a fee to a player or team that is sending the code. A codetransmission fee may be billed to the account associated with the mobilecommunication facility from which the code is transmitted. Inembodiments, a code transmission receipt may be confirmed to the mobilecommunication facility.

In embodiments, a broadcast may be made using the Internet, a webpageupdate, a social networking site, an email, a text message, a wirelessprovider, a voice mail, an automated voice mail, a wireless provider andthe Internet in combination, an interactive user interface, or someother broadcast means. A broadcast may invoke a fee. An automated voicemail may be created by a user of the mobile communication facilitygaining location control of the geographic location. An interactive userinterface may include a map. A map may be a satellite image, a graphicrendering, a three-dimensional map. An interactive interface may includea blog, sponsored content, or some other type of content. Sponsoredcontent may be associated with the geographic location.

In embodiments, the present invention may enable creating a code thatmay be entered in a mobile communication facility, associating the codewith a unit of a location verification facility that may be furtherassociated with one or more of a plurality of geographic locations,establishing a geographic location of the mobile communication facility,transmitting the code from the mobile communication facility, computingwith the verification facility a location verification measureassociated with the geographic location and the mobile communicationfacility, and broadcasting the measure to a network.

In embodiments, the present invention may enable associating a mobilecommunication facility with a plurality of mobile communicationfacilities, wherein the association forms a multiplayer team,associating a code with a geographic location, transmitting the codeusing the mobile communication facility, identifying whether the mobilecommunication facility is present at the geographic location near thetime of entering the code, and creating a first multiplayer team scorebased at least in part on verifying that the mobile communicationfacility is present at the geographic location near the time of the codetransmission.

In embodiments, a first multiplayer team score may be aggregated with asecond multiplayer team score from a second code transmission, orplurality of multiplayer team scores from a plurality of codetransmissions. Code transmissions, and the multiplayer team scores onwhich they are based, may derive from a single mobile communicationfacility visiting multiple locations, a single mobile communicationfacility visiting a single location more than once, a plurality ofmobile communications visiting the same location, or a plurality ofmobile communication facilities visiting a plurality of locations.

In embodiments, an aggregated multiplayer team score may be weightedbased on a criterion. A criterion may be a purchase at a geographiclocation, a visit duration at a geographic location by a player, a feepayment made by a player, a receipt of a sponsor code transmission, orsome other criterion. A sponsor code may include a coupon code,proof-of-purchase code, or some other type of sponsor code. Inembodiments, a measure may be a territory control measure of amultiplayer game.

In embodiments, an aggregated multiplayer team score may be convertedinto a weighting of a multiplayer team's location control measure. Aweighting of the multiplayer team's location control measure maydiminish as a function of time. The diminution of the weighting of themultiplayer team's location control measure may be halted upon receiptof a third code transmission by at least one of a plurality of players'mobile communication facilities.

In embodiments, a multiplayer team's location control measure may bebroadcast to a plurality of multiplayer teams.

In embodiments, an association of a player's mobile communicationfacility with the plurality of mobile communication facilities may bemade using the Internet, a wireless provider, or some other means ofcommunication. The association may form a team.

In embodiments, the present invention may enable creating a first codeassociated with a first location, a second code associated with a secondlocation, and a third code associated with a third location, lines amongthe three locations defining a perimeter of a geographic territory,transmitting the first, second, and third codes using at least onemobile communication facility, verifying location of the mobilecommunication facility upon receipt of the codes' transmissions, andupon verification of at least three codes, awarding a territory controlmeasure for the geographic territory to an entity associated with themobile communication facility.

In embodiments, a rival location control that is associated with alocation within a geographic territory may be eliminated upon awardingterritory control. The rival location control may be associated with arival mobile communication facility in competition for location controlwith the mobile communication facility.

In embodiments, the present invention may enable associating a code witha geographic location, tracking a transaction at the geographic locationand associating the code with the transaction upon verification of auser's presence at the geographic location, calculating a revenueassociated with the transaction, awarding a location control measurebased on the code and the transaction, and receiving a share of therevenue associated with the transaction.

In embodiments, a share of revenue derived from a sponsor, location,code transmission, or the like, may be retained by the gaming platformand/or entities associated with the platform.

In embodiments, a code associated with a geographic location may beautomatically sent for a player or team.

In embodiments, a player or team may be provided an incentive uponreceipt of the transmitted code. An incentive may be a coupon or someother incentive.

In embodiments, a transaction may be a webpage view, an onlineadvertisement conversion, an online transaction, an online surveycompletion, a visit to a geographic store location, a purchase at ageographic store location, a club enrollment, a credit card enrollment,a credit card purchase, a phone call, a text message, a viewing oftelevision content, or some other transaction type.

In embodiments, a code may be transmitted using a mobile communicationfacility, a telecommunications land line, the Internet, email, groundmail, a television, a fax, or some other means of transmission.

In embodiments, revenue may derive from advertising, a purchase ortransaction, a sponsorship, a subscription, or some other means ofrevenue creation.

These and other systems, methods, objects, features, and advantages ofthe present invention will be apparent to those skilled in the art fromthe following detailed description of the preferred embodiment and thedrawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES

The invention and the following detailed description of certainembodiments thereof may be understood by reference to the followingfigures:

FIG. 1 illustrates a simplified mobile network/SMS gateway.

FIG. 2 illustrates a simplified architecture of the gaming platform.

FIG. 3 illustrates a sample rack configuration within the gamingplatform.

FIG. 4 illustrates the creation and verification of a location codetransmission.

FIG. 5 illustrates the creation of a multiplayer team score.

FIG. 6 illustrates the creation of an aggregated multiplayer team score.

FIG. 7 illustrates an example of a team gaining control of a territory.

FIG. 8 illustrates steps in a method for taking an action based onverification of a location of a mobile communication facility with alocation-based code.

FIG. 9 shows steps in a method for computing a measure based onverification of the presence of a mobile communication facility at alocation.

FIG. 10 shows steps in a method for association of a group of mobilecommunication facilities in a team that is awarded measures based onverification of presence of the mobile communication facilities atlocations.

FIG. 11 shows steps in a method for awarding a territory control measurebased on verification of presence of mobile communication facilities atlocations.

FIG. 12 shows steps in a method for managing revenue shares associatedwith transactions occurring at locations at which the presence of amobile communication facility is verified.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

An aspect of the present invention includes a location-based,massively-multiplayer, community-building, real-world cellular gamingplatform that uses people and their cell phones as game pieces in teamcompetitions to capture and defend real-world territory—all displayed onthousands of web pages. Game play may deliver customers to retail,bricks and mortar clients, turning click-throughs into walk-ins tophysical store locations. The method and systems of the presentinvention include a game that may be played with a cell phone, or somemobile device with location-based capabilities, such as GPS,triangulation, and the like. The game may utilize the Internet forcommunication, organization and to create a gaming social community.Revenue may be derived from web page advertising, sponsorships, premiumsubscriptions, and retail revenue sharing. In embodiments, the game maybe an adaptable game platform, based on a simple rule-set similar toRisk or Capture the Flag, and aimed at a mass audience of tens ofmillions of casual Internet game players and the even larger populationof two billion-plus cell phone users, both domestically and abroad.

In embodiments, the gaming platform may utilize the real world as thegame board, with players moving through this space capturing territoryby using their cell phones as the game controllers. Rather thandelivering single game graphics to the small screens of cell phones, inembodiments of the present invention the phone may be used to confirm aplayer's location on the game board, via already existing and ubiquitouscellular location-based technology. Graphics, team and individualidentities and community tools and rankings may be delivered over theInternet on game webpages that track each contest's constantly evolvingprogress and status in real time.

In embodiments, game play may include teams that compete for “nodes,”which are real world locations that can range from retail stores to rockconcerts. Team members enter a code into their cell phone to capture aNode. Captured Nodes are then linked to define a territory controlled bythe team—with the winning team owning the most territory at the end ofthe game. Any location or event can become a Node, and games can betailored for duration—a few days to many months. Games may scaleseamlessly from local to global play, and territories may be displayedon contest Web pages in real time. Team-owned spaces may decay over timeand may be attacked by other teams through a variety of tactics,including repeated incursion and surrounding by an opposing team.

In embodiments, the competition results may be sharable, for example ona website posting a leader board. Game play may also us coupons andpersonalized purchase opportunities to create player affinity andincentives for playing the game. Game play may also provide a reason forcommunity members to meet face-to-face.

In embodiments, the gaming platform may provide links between onlinegame play and accomplishment by associating game play with tangible realworld benefits and rewards by making brick and mortar retail locationspart of game play. Furthermore, by actually delivering customers toretail locations in a provable and auditable way, the game may provideincentives for retailers to offer prizes and sponsor contests. Throughthe game experience, a cell phone may become a nonintrusive means ofmatching local business offerings with user needs.

In embodiments, the game may be customized, and the game Nodes or playlocations may be any store, location, or landmark. The game may betailored to appeal to any geographic theater or demographic. In otherwords, according to the methods and systems described herein, games maybe created, with or without sponsors, for teen boys in Los Angeles,“tween” girls in Singapore, or single adult females in London, Seoul, orShanghai, or any other demographic group or geographic location.

In embodiments, the gaming platform may benefit from a wide range ofrevenue streams owing to its combination of sponsorships, venues, andgame play elements. Depending on the location, player population, anddesign of the game, the game may tailor its business model and revenueflow per game, per site, and per demographic—allowing a level offlexibility and adaptability that may diversify and minimize risk whilemaximizing customer satisfaction, repeat play, and customer loyalty andpredictability. In an example, when a player participant in the gamevisits a retail partner in the course of capturing a node, the gameoperators may receive a bounty for delivering the customer to the store,as well as participating in revenue sharing from any purchase resultingfrom the player's store visit.

In embodiments, the gaming platform may be free to play. In embodiments,the game may be a premium game, available via a subscription fee. Inembodiments, winning players in the game may be rewarded. Inembodiments, winning teams may be rewarded. A reward may include, but isnot limited to, money, merchandise, store credits, coupons, or someother incentive or reward.

In embodiments, the gaming platform may be a custom-designed privategame for a corporate client, person, event, occasion, or some otherdefining characteristic.

In embodiments, the gaming platform may generate revenue for an operatorby virtue of the traffic through the thousands and tens-of-thousands ofgame and team web pages linked through a game operator website asplayers check on the status of their games and socialize and coordinatewith their friends and fellow players. Such an operator website may selladvertisements for inclusion on the game-related webpages used by theplayers.

In embodiments, the game players may have the opportunity to purchasegame-enhancing power-ups for themselves or their teammates, as well asnumerous customizations for their personal and team pages.

In embodiments, the game is a scalable set of games. A game may be,instead of a single game, a gaming platform that hosts a virtuallyunlimited number of different games, some with different fictivewrappers, which target different audiences and different facets of themarketplace. Moreover, each “layering” of games may be tailored to eachindividual geographic location according the national tastes,motivations, and real-world sponsor and other partnerships negotiatedfor each region.

In embodiments, the gaming platform may include a set of tools to allowplayers to create and run their own games in addition to the in-housegames that designers may build. The game platform may require thatplayer-generated content use a certain percentage of retail partnernodes, this combined amount of content may, in effect, allow retailpartners to conduct real-time market research. Moreover, game trafficpatterns may help establish what works best for each market andlocation, determining direction and focus for continual development andmarketing of the game platform's sponsored, revenue generating content.In an example, a retail book store may have a book-signing in New Yorkand want a large crowd at the event in order to create buzz for thelaunch. Using the game platform, it may be possible to create areal-time, special benefit for those game players that visit the storeand narrowcast this in-game promotion to New Yorkers who have, forexample, indicated an interest in books.

In embodiments, the gaming platform content, such as game titles,concept, web graphics, and sponsor-sets, may be customized and marketedto individual marketplaces, retailers, or some other commercial entity.

In embodiments, the gaming platform may use a set of databases. Thesedatabases may be designed to log and track millions of unique customerattributes and call up situation-specific graphics from multiple“libraries” in real time, so that the individual user sees only theirspecific “world”—for example, the game that they have agreed to play in,or have even created themselves. Such an infrastructure may permit thegaming platform to handle the requirements of running tens-of-thousandsof simultaneous games for millions of players in thousands of locationsinternationally.

In embodiments, the gaming platform may be differentiated from thetraditional “causal gaming.” The term “casual games” is used to describegames that are easy to learn, utilize simple controls and aspire toforgiving game-play, but perhaps are best portrayed as games targeted ata mass audience. Casual games usually have a few simple rules and anengaging game design, making it easy for a new player to begin playingthe game in just minutes. And they require no long-term time commitmentor special skills to play. Common features of casual games includesimple game-play in short bursts, with the ability to quickly reach afinal stage, or continuous play with no need to save the game, and noplot or character, or simple ones with no bearing on the game'smechanics. Casual games reach virtually all demographic sectors. Womenin their forties comprise the typical casual game player—but so do men,teens, kids, college students, seniors and international audiences. Evenhard-core game players take a break every now and then to play freeonline poker games and online pool. More people from around the worldplay casual games than any other kind of video game. Overwhelmingly,however, casual games are limited to a single-player experience, yetgaming is historically a social activity that provides participants withdynamic interpersonal activity. Currently, large-scale, community-based,online computer games (Massively-Multiplayer Online Games or MMOGs) likeUltima Online, EverQuest, Asheron's Call, and World of Warcraft (at 8million online subscribers worldwide and growing) are designed toattract so-called “hard-core gamers” and can be played by thousands ofpeople simultaneously. Yet these games are not particularly attractivefor the casual gamer since they require an enormous investment of timeand skill.

In embodiments, the gaming platform may support a massively-multiplayer,online computer game specifically designed for casual gamers. Inembodiments, the gaming platform may provide elements of a socialnetwork functionality to correspond to the gaming aspects. The gamingplatform may foster a community—a self-identified, active, andpersistent group of like-minded or commonly motivated individuals—hasexisted online since the early days of the Internet. In embodiments, thegaming platform may create a social networking and community site forcasual users.

In embodiments, the location-based services and capabilities of mobilecommunication devices, like cell phones, may be used by the gamingplatform, for example, access to mobile maps, driving directions, andthe like. The gaming platform may support a massively-multiplayer,casual game played in the real word, where players and their cell phonesare the game pieces in a team competition for territorial control. Agame may be played with a cell phone, but unlike traditional mobilephone games where the player interacts with the game through a pad oftiny buttons and watches the game world on a screen, a game according tothe gaming platform methods and systems may be played within the realworld where the players' phones are their game controllers.

In embodiments, the gaming platform may enable an ever-growing, alwaysevolving society of players who come together to compete, cooperate,play and socialize, both in the real world and in an online communitywhere the Internet is utilized for communication, organization andcommunity. Players may monitor the game's progress on a gaming platformwebsite where a game, in all its many iterations, along with teams andplayers, are displayed on thousands of web pages.

In embodiments, the gaming platform may turn any geographic location orplurality of geographic locations into an interactive game board. Aplayer may create a game that incorporates a street in his neighborhoodor a favorite haunt, and may gain notoriety for himself and his teamwithin the social network of the gaming platform. Basic game-play may befree and may be paid for, in part, from retail revenue sharing bydelivering players to the game platform's bricks and mortarclients—turning click-throughs into walk-ins. Additional revenue may bederived from web page advertising, sponsorships, premium subscriptions,or some other financial means.

In embodiments, the gaming platform may support games whose objective isto access territory and control the territory that is accessed. Teams ofplayers may compete to control strategic locations, or “Nodes”, in thereal world to draw borders around territory that they can claim as theirown. Players may vie for control of these Nodes through their cellphones, either through positioning systems such as GPS, triangulation,by texting location-specific codes via SMS, or by some otherlocation-sensing technology. In an example, a game player may walk intoa participating location (e.g., a coffee shop, fast food restaurant,video rental store) bring up the game application and press “Energize”within the game user interface. No other actions may be required toinitiate game play. By performing this act, a player may stake a claimto that location for himself or his team. If an individual or team wassuccessful, they will be notified via email, text message, phone call,or by some other communication means. A player or team of players maycoordinate to make strategic moves that will capture large stretches ofterritory and cut off opposing teams from doing the same. Progress maybe tracked through a gaming platform website and/or online communityspace. The gaming platform may also offer players the opportunity topurchase “power-up” enhancements that provide special abilities that mayprovide a competitive edge.

In embodiments, the gaming platform may support an online community.Each player may be given a personal home page where they may show offwho they are and what they've done, in a manner similar to socialnetworking sites. Players may be provided with tools to customize theirpersonal webpage within the gaming platform's online community, forexample, the background, the music that plays for visitors, the player'sonline avatar, or some other website characteristic. A player may alsodisplay their in-game achievements alongside their list of favorites(movies, bands, etc. . . . ) Through these personal pages, players maypost messages, invites and endorsements. Players may also trade in-gamevirtual items such as power-ups or collectibles.

In embodiments, the gaming platform may players may track the progressof the game through a gaming platform website. Each game may have itsown page displaying a dynamic 3-D map of the game. This map may updatein real-time to show Nodes under attack, territory lost and gained andspecial events such as power-ups and team bonuses. In embodiments, agaming platform website may include special effects, animation,soundtrack, or other features that are common to a conventional, modernvideo game.

In embodiments, the gaming platform may use a network of Nodes to makeup the game world in which the game play may occur. These Nodes may bereal-world locations, for example the retail locations of strategicpartners of the gaming operators. Players may attempt to control theseNodes by visiting them and “Energizing” the Node via their mobilephones. Energizing a node may entail sending an SMS code generated bythe retail location to the game server. In an alternate embodiment,those players with the latest location-enabled phones, may load the gameand press the “Energize” button, and your location at the Node is loggedon the game server, based at least in part on the phone transmitting itslocation information to the gaming platform. At the end of each round ofgame play (which may be hourly, or daily, or some other time duration)the “Energy” at each Node may be tallied and the team with the mostEnergy at the Node may take control of the Node. Once control of a Nodehas been achieved, “Links” may be drawn between the Node and other Nodescontrolled by the same individual or team. These Links may be used todefine a “Territory” that the individual or team controls, and todetermine the points they are awarded. Once the Links are drawn and theTerritories scored, the Energy at each Node may be cleared and a newround of competition begins.

In embodiments, the gaming platform may provide game variations on thebasic gaming structure of energizing Nodes, capturing Territories, andearning rewards. In embodiments, games may scale from small gameslimited to a single city, to international competitions. Fast-pacedgames may be completed in a day or a weekend, or games may run for weeksand months. In embodiments, games may run continuously with nopredefined end.

In embodiments, the gaming platform may be a universal game system thatmay be adapted and modified with variations and rules appropriate to agame fiction and an intended demographic. For example, in apirate-themed game, the Nodes may become “Ports” and the Links become“Trade Routes.” “Energizing a Node” may become “Plundering a Port,” anda website map corresponding to the game and the game graphics may befilled with pirate paraphernalia, such as parrots, sabers, cannons,doubloons, and the like. Each player may become a captain of her virtualship and she may visit an online store to “recruit” special items andvirtual crew that will give her and her team an edge. In an alternateembodiment, a “Da Vinci Code” tie-in may be used in creating a gamewithin the gaming platform. For example, players may visit nodes tocollect cryptic clues and collaborate with their teammates to solve thepuzzle before the other teams. In an alternate embodiment, in an “M:I3”themed game within the gaming platform, players may take on the role ofsecret agents working for the Impossible Mission team and defuse virtual“bombs” hidden at each node. Other embodiments of themed games mayinclude, commercial product branding, Mr. Clean fights to clean(Energize) soiled locations in a city (Nodes) and create anti-bacterialzones (Territories), wherein the game winners are rewarded with Mr.Clean products, coupons, and the like.

In embodiments, the gaming platform may be designed to appeal to a widerange of players, though each may find different aspects of the gamemore engaging depending on their personality and play style. Dr. RichardBartle, one of the pioneers of massively multiplayer online games,categorizes gamers into four distinct categories based on the aspects ofa game that interest them most. “Achievers” tend to prefer collectingpoints, accolades, ranks and other rewards. They may do this to showdominance over other players, or simply for the reward of completingdifficult challenges. “Explorers” enjoy exploring the game and gameworld, discovering all the secrets of the game's back story, charactersand enemies. Knowledge of the game is often more important than success.“Killers” are driven by the rush they get from challenging humanopponents and besting them. For these players fierce competition and“The Thrill of the Hunt” is everything. And, “Socializers” are drawntoward the elements of games that allow them to interact with otherplayers. They enjoy creating and promoting organizations and findingcooperative solutions to game challenges. Though few players are definedby a single play style, a game that does not appeal to a player'spreferred style will have a harder time keeping that individual'sinterest. The gaming platform is designed so that there are elements ofthe game that may appeal strongly to each of the four play styles. Forexample, for Achievers there may be accolades and awards for a widevariety of game actions. In an example, players may be ranked on thenumber of Nodes Energized, Nodes Captured, Links Made and TerritoryHeld. Leader boards may be maintained for each game, individual and/orteam so that players can see how they stack up against other players andtheir own team-mates. Power-ups and titles may be awarded to individualsfor exceptional game-play such as quickly capturing a large number ofNodes. Explorers may be drawn to discover all of the secret nodes,hidden power-ups and special locations that a given game has to offer.Some games may be geared heavily toward exploration, but may includediscoveries to be made and secrets to be uncovered. Killers may testtheir skills against other players and track their personal successrate. When a player uses a power-up to eliminate another players charge,or nullifies a player's territory with a well-placed capture, bothplayers may receive a message to this effect so that the Killer canboast of his success and the Killer's target can begin to plot hisrevenge. Socializers may take the role of clan leaders and strategists.These players may coordinate their team's actions and pull off playsthat will leave less organized teams wondering what hit them. Theseplayers may be the glue that keeps the gaming platform communitytogether and may be responsible for the lion's share of user-run gamesand content.

In embodiments, the gaming platform may include Nodes that are thestrategic locations that players compete to control during a game. Nodesmay be real-world locations, such as branch locations of retail partners(Starbucks, McDonald's, FedEx Kinko's, etc.). Some games may includeNodes displayable on location-enabled phones that need not be tied to aretail partner. These Nodes may be selected for their theme or noveltyvalue. (e.g., graveyards may be nodes in a horror themed game, or theHollywood sign could be a Node in a city-centric game).

In embodiments, the gaming platform may include some games that haveNodes whose existence or locations are not initially revealed to theplayers. The location of these Nodes may be revealed through riddles, asrewards for challenges, through player exploration, by purchasing “maps”from the online store, or through some other means.

In embodiments, the gaming platform may enable players to vie forcontrol of a Node by Energizing it. With a location-enabled phone, thismay include being at the location and transmitting a code through thegame application. Other phones may Energize a Node by texting an SMScode that is generated at the location. These codes may be generated bythe retail partner's point-of-sale registers and printed on receiptsfrom a sales or non-sales transaction. Energy Codes may be printed onreceipts as a bar code that can be photographed by camera phone andtransmitted to the game server. Bar codes printed on static media suchas posters may enhance a transmission (by providing a power-up) by alocation-enabled phone (and thereby minimize doubt that the player wasactually inside the location). In embodiments, each Node may have aWindow of opportunity that determines when it can be Energized. Theduration and frequency of this Window may be adjusted to suit therequirements of the game or of the retail partner. For example, aleisurely-paced game may have a 24-hour window from midnight tomidnight. At midnight the game server may tally the activity at eachNode and award control of the Node to the team with the most Energy overthe course of the day. In a more fast-paced game, that tally mighthappen every hour. Some Nodes may have their window limited to certaintimes a day. For example, a retail shop's Energy Window may berestricted to the hours that shop is open for business. A game in whichEnergy Windows are not in sync across all Nodes may offer very complexstrategic possibilities.

For gameplay purposes Nodes may act as the “play spaces” of the virtualboard in a plurality of games. Charging a Node is the means by which aplayer may make choices in game play and interact with the game.Charging the Node may be interpreted differently by each game, in somegames representing an attempt to control the Node, while in otherscharging the node may be an attempt to uncover new game information,send a message, activate a power, launch a virtual weapon or construct avirtual building. From a system implementation aspect, the game systemmay determine which nodes should be energized. The game system may alsodetermine how much each node should be energized and for how long. Thegame system may make this determination according to the rules of thegame in play. The game system may invoke a method on the game server torecord the change on each node that is energized. The game server maystore this information in the game database.

In embodiments, it may be worthwhile for a team to control a single Nodesimply to deny another team control. However, if a team controls two ormore Nodes during a given Window, Links will be created between them.Links belonging to opposing teams cannot cross one another, however.When two opposing links cross one another, the longer link is broken andcancelled.

In embodiments, territories may be a means of keeping score in the game.A Territory is a segment of the game area that is bound by Links createdby a single team. The volume of ground within the shape created by theLinks may determine the value of that Territory and thus the amount itadds to the controlling team's score. Territories cannot be created ifan enemy Territory exists within it, but any Nodes that do not form aTerritory may be lost if they are enclosed within an enemy Territory.

In embodiments, each Link may be assigned a Weakness value proportionalto its length. Shorter Links are therefore stronger. When Linksbelonging to opposing teams cross, the weaker Link may be broken andeliminated. If both Links are created at the same time, the weaker Linkis always the longer Link. However, Links may persist until they arebroken or their Nodes controlled by an opposing team, but their weaknessmay increase by a set percentage with each passing Energy Window. Thismay make it possible for a longer Link to break a shorter Link if thelatter has decayed and grown sufficiently weak.

In embodiments, once created, a Territory may take precedence overindividual Nodes and Links (created subsequently) belonging to an enemyteam that do not form a Territory. However, if a new Territory iscreated by an opposing team that includes Links that previously belongedto an enemy Territory, those Nodes and Links may go to the new team andthe previously created Territory may be reduced or destroyed.

In embodiments, there may be a range of game play options envisionedbeyond the core rules that will add variety and novelty to games. Also,players and teams may be able to purchase or win power-ups that willconfer special abilities in the game.

In embodiments, numerous game-play variations are support by the gamingplatform, including, but not limited to, “colony,” “skullduggery,”“burger chase,” “motherload,” or some other variation. In colony, theplayers are teams of aliens attempting to colonize and control theunsuspecting population of their local city. Each player picks a rolesuch as Scout, Soldier or Queen that give them special powers in thisgame of territory (and mind-) control. In skullduggery, the players arepirates, traders and swashbucklers, their local “nodes” are ports ofcall and the links between them are hotly contested trade routes. Earndoubloons by shrewd trading or brazen piracy and add to yourNation/Team's coffers (and thus their score). In burger chase, a gamewell suited for sponsored special events, teams of players conduct atreasure hunt for delicious snacks. Taking control of Nodes helps a teamzero in on the hidden burgers (virtual burgers, that is to say), whichthey then try to capture and return to a designated goal Node. Inmotherload, players are teams of Miners and the Nodes are potentialmines rich in valuable ore. Linked Nodes form rich “veins” of ore thatact as score multipliers. But watch out for the other teams or they willjump your claim.

In embodiments, the gaming platform players may derive real-worldbenefits for playing the game and building their online teams andassociations. Since many of the games will be sponsored by realbrick-and-mortar companies, each team will have a chance at the winner'sprize. More important, however, are the promotions, sale notifications,and bonuses each player may receive for simply being part of thecommunity. Because each player will need to enter a wealth ofdemographic information at sign-up and will demonstrate his or hercommercial preferences by the types of real-world sites they choose toplay at, advertisers may find it more than worthwhile to “lock-in” thatplayer with special promotions and gaming platform-exclusive offers.

In embodiments, the gaming platform may drive customers to retaillocations in a provable and auditable way, which may incentivize thosecommercial entities to offer coupons and prizes, and to sponsorcontests.

In embodiments, because the game is may be customized, and the gameNodes or play locations may be any store, location, or landmark, thegame may be tailored to appeal to any geographic theater or demographic.In other words, the gaming platform games may be created, with orwithout sponsors for teen boys in Los Angeles, “tween” girls inSingapore, or single adult females in London, Seoul, or Shanghai, tocite only a few examples of many.

In embodiments, the gaming platform may incorporate multiple revenuesources, each of which may be at low or no cost to the user. Forexample, revenue may be derived from retail participation, retaillocation fees, retail location point-of-presence bounties, retailrevenue share, subscription fees, advertising, or some other revenuesource. Retail location fees may be derived by partnering with retailchains in establishing a game grid. This game design provides theability to steer customers directly into retail partners'establishments. Players' foot traffic may translate into store sales.Additional revenues may be derived by charging each retailer a per storefee of, for example, $25 per month to participate in a game grid. Retaillocation point-of-presence bounties refers to a revenue model based atleast in part on charging each retailer a user visit fee of, forexample, $0.025 per visit. Because the gaming platform is designed, inpart, to put customers/users into the retail establishment, retailersmay find a per visit bounty as an acceptable cost of customeracquisition. Retail revenue share refers to obtaining revenues fromreceiving a percentage of the purchase price a store may receive from acustomer visiting the store as part of participating a game of thegaming platform. In an example, if 12.5% to 17.5% of retail visitsresult in a customer purchase, with an estimated average purchase willbe $4.50, the operators of the gaming platform may receive 0.3% of thegross purchase price, or $0.0135 per purchase. Subscription fees may becharged to players for access to the gaming platform, or for access topremium games. In embodiments, the gaming platform may generate revenuefrom direct and indirect advertising as well. In embodiments, the gamingplatform may enable its users to purchase in-game consumables items,typically known as “power-ups”. These digital item purchases arecharacteristic of online casual games as well as in premium subscribergames. The TDD lays out a road map for the technical development of theproject. This document makes note of the significant engineeringfeatures of the game, describes the intended approach to implementingthese features (including 3rd party software or tools) and highlightshigh-risk elements of the project as well as the steps and proceduresthat will be taken to mitigate those risks. Much the same as the GDD,the TDD is a living document and is expected to be updated continuouslyover the development of the project as new information becomes availableand priorities change.

In embodiments, the gaming platform may enable differing game designsand the artistic look and feel of each game to target specificdemographics. The same basic underlying game-play may be coupled withvarying artistic styles to attract audiences as different as the casual“tween” girl and the twenty-something hardcore male gamer. Combined witha relatively short production cycle, Poplio can also create content thatartistically takes advantage of quickly emerging trends and currentpromotions.

In embodiments, the gaming platform may be modified or changed entirelyin a very short period time and on a per-user basis. Furthermore,individual players may be able to modify and customize the game'sappearance to suit their personal tastes. Two players might be presentedwith radically different graphics and art, even though the underlyingrules of the game are the same. This customization can be taken to suchextremes that the basic theme of the game may seem radically differentfor two different groups of players, even though both are participatingin the same game. To a casual observer, it would appear to be twocompletely different games. One group could be playing a game presentedas rival spy organizations vying to steal their opponent's top secretfiles, while another group is presented with a game where teams ofwizards attempt to locate and rescue magical creatures, but both groupsare playing the same game and competing against each other. Theunderlying game actions are translated into each group's preferredidiom.

In embodiments, the gaming platform may be used to create “meta-games”that are collections of smaller games that do not all share the sametheme or story. Thus, the gaming platform may not need to restrictitself to games, stories, or art that appeals to the widest possibleaudience. Rather, the gaming platform may be used to create content thatappeals to many small (but devoted) interest groups without the need forany individual game to reach a self-sustaining critical mass of players.This may allow the gaming platform to address demographic groups thatmight otherwise be underserved or ignored completely.

In embodiments, the gaming platform may provide players the tools tocreate their own customized content. In addition to being able to createpersonalized pages for themselves and their clan or guild, players maybe given the means to create new interface art for their games similarto the custom “skins” that can be created for the popular musicapplication WinAmp. Players may be able to create their own completegames based on the core gaming platform. This user-generated andcustomized content may reduce the burden on the gaming platform art teamand help to ensure that no demographic, regardless how small, goesunserved. This flexibility may also empower the player base toself-identify new opportunities and new markets. If dozens of customgames are created based on a new TV series, the operators of the gamingplatform may use this information as an excellent opportunity toapproach the series' production company about partnering to create anofficial game.

In embodiments, the gaming platform may include a community web siteconstructed using standard HTML and Flash for certain interactive andpremium content. This approach may allow the players to access thecommunity contents from a number of different environments, from desktopcomputers to handheld devices. The site may be created using anestablished open source content management system (e.g. Drupal) that mayprovide community-focused building blocks, such as blogging tools,personal spaces, message boards, and calendars. This may allowdevelopers to concentrate on building the community and adding richcontent without wasting cycles on basic support systems.

In embodiments, the gaming platform may use distributed collection andaggregation techniques (e.g. the Map/Reduce algorithm popularized byGoogle) to manage the vast volume of player actions and calculate gamestatistics and results.

In embodiments, the gaming platform may feed players' actions into theplatform via SMS messages, which may be automatically fashioned and sentby phones with location awareness or manually entered by the player(from a key code available at the retail outlet). As illustrated in FIG.1, the gaming platform's SMS gateway 110 may receive the messages andtranslate them into actions in the game database to track the progressand results of individual games. A player's mobile communicationfacility 102 may be associated with a wireless carrier network 104 thatis further associated with the Internet. A player participating in agame scenario running on the gaming platform may send a message, such asa text message, from his mobile communication facility 102 uponreaching, for example, a particular location. The message may be routedthrough a wireless carrier network 104, the Internet, through a firewall108, to an SMS gateway 110. Messages sent by players may be stored in amessage database 112 and further associated with other elements of thegaming platform. The information may be processed and fed to thecommunity site where the status of games can be tracked in real-time.

As illustrated in FIG. 2, in embodiments, the gaming platform 200 mayuse a server platform that consists of a set of commercially supportedopen source software package, for example Linux, Apache (e.g. The ApacheHTTP Server), MySQL/PostgreSQL, J2ME (e.g. JSR-179—Java Location API forLocation-Aware Devices).

In embodiments, the gaming platform 200 may include an authenticationsystem, SMS gateway 108, databases, and a community focused contentmanagement system. In embodiments, the gaming platform 200 may include,but is not limited to, an Internet database 202 associated with aplurality of web servers 204. The web servers 204 may be furtherassociated with game servers 208. The game servers 208 of the gamingplatform may be associated with an SMS gateway 108, a business databaseserver, and a game database 212. A game database 212, or plurality ofgame databases may store gaming information such as game scenarios, therules pertaining to game scenarios, player data, or some other type ofgame data. A business database server 210 may be associated with abusiness database 214. A business database 214 may include, but is notlimited to, storing revenue information, sponsor information, or someother type of business data.

In embodiments, the gaming platform 200 may include a data center rack.In an example, a rack configuration 300, such as that shown in FIG. 3,may include servers, firewall, RAID arrays, and other equipment.

In embodiments, the gaming platform 200 may substantiate a proof ofpresence of a player in a retail partner's store by, for example, usingexisting location-based technologies currently deployed by cell phonecarriers in the US, Europe and the developed Asian nations, or viapoint-of-purchase online cash register systems deployed throughout theretail sector. In each case, data may flow from the carriers and/orretailers to a gaming platform 200 database.

The game platform translates received SMS messages into actions byrouting them to the game server, where they are then processed by thegame system logic for the game in play. The results are then stored in adatabase that is available to the community site system for display inreal-time.

Location-based technologies currently in use by cell phone carriersincludes GPS and aGPS (assisted GPS).

Other game platform systems include matchmaking, chat, and friendsmanagement.

Other equipment required for the gaming platform 200 are internetrouters, internet switches, uninterruptible power supplies, andautomated backup storage devices.

In embodiments, the gaming platform 200 may partner with entities innumerous industries including, but not limited to, retailers, cell phoneoperators, carriers and manufacturers, internet portals, credit cards,and other industries.

In embodiments, the gaming platform 200 may use co-marketing campaignswith retail, cell phone carriers, credit card partners, or otherindustry partners.

In embodiments, the gaming platform 200 may use “street teams” that seedmessage boards, blogs, and chat rooms with information about the gamingplatform 200.

In embodiments, the gaming platform 200 may use tell-a-friend incentivepromotions for beta testers and for players.

In embodiments, the gaming platform 200 may include game playing typessuch as “colony.” Colony mixes aspects of Battlefield 2 with Real-TimeStrategy, but in a live-action, location based format. Colony hasplayers assume the role of an alien race which comes to earth to conqueras much land as possible. Like the land rush of the American west, Earthis fertile ground for colonization, and each team of aliens willfiercely battle over the right to claim each of the node locations astheir own.

In embodiments, at the start of the game, each player may choose a team(or play with his regular clan) and choose a team role. The team rolemay or may not be changed until the end of each round. (Round length maybe dependent on number of players or other parameters set up by theplayers themselves.) The team roles may be: Scout—Scouts explore theenvironment searching for new nodes, resources (like energy, food, orbuilding materials), enemy hives, and special power-ups. Scouts reportthese positions back to their home Hive, where other player types canact on that intelligence in various ways. The Scout is a good role forplayers that are constantly on the go and cover a wide area during theirdaily routine. Forager—Foragers get reports sent to them by their teamScouts, pointing them to valuable resources and power-ups. The forager'sjob is to go out to the locations their scouts send them and pick up thevirtual loot before the other teams can get to them. A good forager is aplayer that knows their neighborhood really well and knows the fastestroute between any two points in the city. Engineer—Engineers can spendthe resources that the scouts and foragers collect to establish newhives for the colony. Hives are home bases where resources can bestashed and players can re-energize their character's health/energy.Hives also determine the amount of terrain captured by a given team.Engineers can also repair damaged Hives and disarm enemy bombs.Engineers may be players that don't move around that much, but tend tohang out at their favorite Hive to provide constant damage control.Soldiers—Soldiers are a player type that can “damage” other player'savatars. Rather than face to face style combat, soldiers may set trapsor land mines that can take energy/health away from the other team.Soldiers can also plant spores that take over opposing Hives. Soldierscan also act as guards for existing Hives, or as bodyguards to Queens.Queens—The Hive Queens are the eyes and ears of the team. They are aplayer type that has access to all of the data collected by his/herteammates, and can send orders, waypoints, etc. to the team. Whenever aHive Queen is at a Hive (node), he/she can drop a force field whichgives the Hive an extra defensive barrier to attack that lasts a finiteamount of time. Queens are the weakest unit in the game and take themost amount of damage from traps and bombs. A good Queen player may besomeone that's a great multitasker and isn't shy about giving outorders.

In embodiments, each round may be scored based on the number of Hivescaptured and successfully defended from enemy attack. In turn, eachplayer may be scored based on their personal performance (e.g. number ofresources collected, number of Hives captured, etc.)

In embodiments, the gaming platform 200 may include game playing typessuch as “skullduggery.” Skullduggery is a game of pirating, smuggling,and trading. Each team or clan swears its allegiance to one of a seriesof fictional nations, transforming their familiar streets and highwaysinto pirate infested seas and their favorite haunts (nodes) into exotictrading ports. In Skullduggery, each player is the captain of his ownship. Whether or not that ship engages in legitimate trading oroccasionally flies the Jolly Roger as a pirate is entirely up to theplayer and his teammates. Players can visit the various nodes in thegame and speak to the “merchant” or “governor” of each “port”, who willoffer the player various goods to trade or special errands and missions.Just like a traditional sea trading game, the player travels from onenode to the other hoping to get the best price for the goods in his holdwhile avoiding pirate attack. The game may be played in rounds, and theteam with the highest amount of booty plundered and goods traded winsthe round.

In embodiments, pirate battles on the high seas may be stat-basedaffairs. When wandering around “the open sea” (your physicalneighborhood) or visiting a port (a node) you will see a roster of shipsthat are within the range of your guns. If the ship is a teammate, youcan wirelessly trade goodies that you've collected like pieces oftreasure maps and magical artifacts. If the ship is an enemy team (orfair pickings for plundering) you can choose to open fire. Dice rollsare exchanged on the server in a turn-based manner, taking into accountupgrades that players earn in the game like better guns, shielded hulls,tougher sails, etc. Battle ends when one of the players either a.)surrenders, b.) flees, or c.) sinks. When a player surrenders, thetreasure in his hold is taken, but he lives to fight another day. Theplayer can physically leave the proximity of the node where the combatis taking place, is essence escaping the battle. Or, if the player issunk, the winner recovers only a portion of the cargo, but the losermust physically return to the nearest port controlled by his team toreplace his lost ship and crew.

In embodiments, the real world may be peppered with secret locations(nodes) that hold surprises like buried treasure, pieces of pirate maps,magical idols, etc. Players can trade these collectibles with theirteammates by physically visiting the same port. Teams can also capture aport and convert it to a team port (home base) by congregating multipleteam members at a given node and sinking any opposition. Team Ports areplaces where players can replace sunken ships and crew.

In embodiments, the gaming platform 200 may include game playing typessuch as “Mac Attack” (for MacDonalds) or “Jack Attack” (forJack-in-the-Box), and so forth for other entities. This game embodimentmay be a cross-media variation of “capture the flag” or “tag”. In MacAttack, there may be a number of virtual Big Macs (or Jack in the BoxBobble Heads) scattered every few city blocks. At the start of eachround, the players attempt to find the node where the nearest Big Mac ishiding. Once he finds and captures the Big Mac, he needs to take it backto the nearest McDonalds node to score a goal for his team. Duringnormal play, the player may only see when other players on his own teamare near his proximity. When he picks up the Big Mac, he can see bothteammates and opponents in his area—and they can see him. The playerholding the Big Mac wants to get to the nearest goal without having theBig Mac stolen by his opponents. Opponents may steal the Big Mac bychallenging the player to a game of virtual rock, paper, scissors. If hewins, he stays in possession of the Mac. If he loses, the opponentsteals the Mac, and the losing player cannot immediately challenge him.However, he can send up a “signal flare” to his teammates that willdirect them towards the stolen Mac. Likewise, if the person holding theMac wins the RoShamBo match, the challenger cannot immediatelyrechallenge the winner. Players may also pass the captured Mac to any ofhis teammates in his physical proximity. He first sends out a request topass the Mac, and if his teammate accepts, the pass initiates. Passingtakes x number of seconds, during which the Mac cannot be stolen. Thus,well-coordinated groups can pass the Mac back and forth like soccerplayers towards a goal, constantly keeping the opposition off guard.Each time a goal is scored, the Mac resets in a new, random locationsomewhere within the game area. There will always be a set number ofMacs in play in any given area, so it will always be possible to stealor capture one of the Macs and try to score a goal. In embodiments, thisbasic mechanic may be used for any number of themes: similar brandingcould be offered to Fifa or World Cup Soccer, NBA Basketball, Red Bull,Gatorade, or any other brand that emphasizes being fast on your feet,working as a team, and going for the goal.

In embodiments, the gaming platform 200 may include game playing typessuch as “mother load.” In Mother Load, players may assume the role ofprospectors working for their team's mining operation. Like the “Colony”game, Mother Load uses team roles for various play styles and actions:Geologists—Geologists' phones may be transformed into a “Gem Hunter”, ahigh-tech diving rod that guides them to veins of precious metals andgems hidden in each of the game's secret nodes. Some of the nodelocations are known to all teams at the start of the game, but othersare hidden and can only be discovered by Geologists. Geologists reporttheir findings back to the team. Their score is based on a percentage ofthe gems and ore that are successfully mined from each node theydiscover. Prospectors—Prospectors may establish a mine on the veins thatthe Geologists find. Each Prospector is armed with a finite number ofdynamite sticks. These can be used to either excavate a mine, or asoffensive weapons to destroy the opposition's mines. Miner—A miner isthe grunt labor but a key member of the team. Miners can collect thevirtual precious metals and gems from the mines established by his team.Miners first fill their cell phone “bucket” up with treasure, then passit to another Miner at the next node until the treasure load makes itback to the home base, and haul it back to their nearest team base toconvert it into points for his team. Miners' scores may be based on theamount of ore or gems they manage to carry back to their base. Minerscan be raided by enemy Guards. When an enemy Guard chooses to raid aMiner from another team, the engagement is played out using a simplerock/paper/scissor mechanic. Guards—Guards are the hired muscle of themining operation. The number of guards at any given node determines thestrength of the mine and the number of sticks of dynamite it will takethe enemy team to destroy the mine. Guards can also act as escorts toMiners returning with phones loaded with loot. If a Guard is withinphysical proximity (at the same node as) one of his team's miners, andthat miner is challenged by an enemy, the Guard plays the RoShamBo gameagainst the attacker, giving the Miner a chance to escape. If there aremultiple Guards assigned to a Miner, the attacking enemy has to make itthrough a RoShamBo match through all of the Guards before he gets acrack at the Miner's loot. In embodiments, at the end of the round, theteam that has mined the most treasure is the winner. In this game, thenumber of nodes captured is of less importance than the quality of thetreasure found in each node. For example, a gold mine is worth more thana silver mine; a diamond mine is worth more than an emerald mine, etc.However, the amount of ore/gems in any given node is different from nodeto node. Thus, a really full silver mine could potentially yield morepoints than a relatively small Gold Mine.

In embodiments, the gaming platform 200 may support an action gamepitting two teams against one another in an attempt to roll a virtualball into their opponent's goal. The game may be scaleable to a varietyof geographies including, but not limited to, a metropolitan area, astate, a country, international scale, or some other geography size. Thegame may accommodate a plurality of team sizes including, but notlimited to teams consisting of tens of players, hundreds of players,thousands of players, or some other team size.

In embodiments, the game may be adaptable to any location, for example,by selecting landmarks that are known to the participants in the game. Aplurality of landmarks may be selected. In an example, the landmarks maybe the well known location of the Disneyland and Universal Studios themeparks. The two theme parks may act as the virtual goals into which theteams are trying to roll the virtual ball. In embodiments, between thesetwo goals there may be located hundreds of game nodes that serve as avirtual game board. The game nodes may be associated with real world,physical locations, such as a store. A game node may be sponsored by anentity, such as a store owner or some other entity. At the beginning ofa game the virtual ball may be situated between the two goals. This balllocation may, in turn, be associated with a real world geography, suchas an intersection, town name, store location, or some other geographiclocation.

In embodiments, the goal of the virtual ballgame may be to score morepoints than the other team by the end of the game. In an example, pointsmay be scored by rolling the virtual ball into the opposing team's goal.In embodiments, the length of a virtual ballgame may be scalable from amatter of hours, to days, weeks, months, years, or some other timeframe. During game play, players may interact by visiting node locations(e.g., a sponsor store location) and sending a GPS encoded SMS to theservers of the gaming platform 200. By visiting the node and sending themessage, the player may “charge” the node for his team. The charging ofthe node may have the effect of emitting a virtual beam that pushes thevirtual ball in a direction. The players may strategically select whichnodes to visit based at least in part on the predicted effect thecharging of a node will have on the direction in which the ball will beforced as a result of the node charging. Players may selectively visitnodes that serve to advance the virtual ball towards the goal in whichthe wish to deposit the ball and, thereby, gain an advantage over theopposing team(s). In an example, the force required to move the ball maybe scalable such that forcing the ball to move requires a plurality ofplayers to act in concert and visit a node. For example, to move theball the game may require ten players to visit the node prior to movingthe ball. The player visits to the node may be subject to additionalgame rules, such as forcing all ten players to visit the node within 2hours of each other. In embodiments, the game may provide no limit tothe frequency with which a player can charge nodes, but there may berules limiting a player to only charge each individual node once everyhalf-hour, or some other temporal interval. In embodiments, if multipleplayers charge a node simultaneously the effect may be multiplied asopposed to simply added. For example, if two players charge a node atthe same time it may emit a node beam that pushes the ball the sameamount as 4 individuals, and if 10 players all charge at once the forcemay be equivalent to 100 individuals, and so forth.

In embodiments, a point may be scored for each time that the ball rollsinto the opponent's goal. After a goal is scored, the ball may be resetto the center of the playing field.

In embodiments, each time a point is scored and the ball may be resetand all nodes may toggle between pushing and pulling, forcing teams toadjust their strategy accordingly.

In embodiments, there may be greater than two teams and greater than twogoals used during a game. In an example, a game with greater than twoteams participating may adopt a rule that a team is removed from thegame after a specified number of goals have been scored in its goal.This may have the effect, in part, of providing an incentive for teamsto form alliances to target the removal of a particular team. Forexample, in a game consisting of Teams 1, 2, and 3, Teams 1 and 2 mayagree to work in alliance to force the virtual ball only in thedirection of Team 3's goal in order to eliminate Team 3 from the game,forming a dètente between Teams 1 and 2 until Team 3 is removed. Thismay serve to add a strategic, social networking aspect to the game play.

In embodiments, the time period near the end of a game may adopt a newrule set in order to speed the pace of the game in its final moments. Inan example, on the final day of the game, scored goals may be worth twopoints each and all nodes, or a subset of nodes, may emit double force,triple force, etc. in order to speed the pace of the game. Once a gameends, the players may be messaged with the final score and a break downof their own personal performance. Star players may be called out andplayers may be encouraged to log onto the gaming platform 200 website towatch a replay of the game with color commentary.

In embodiments, rewards may be provided to star players, winning teamsand the like by sponsors. The sponsors may be the same entities whosestores or other locations serve as game nodes during game play. Playersor teams receiving rewards may have to visit the sponsors in order topickup their rewards.

In embodiments, teams may be formed in leagues. Teams and leagues may beranked. Players may be traded, bought, waived, released, and the likefrom teams. Players may become free agents. Players may sign contractswith teams, leagues, sponsors, and the like. Players may be celebrities.Teams may have sponsors. Players or teams may have uniforms. Uniformsmay be associated with a sponsor.

In embodiments, a player may choose to increase the force with which hemay advance the virtual ball when visiting a game node by making apurchase at the sponsor's location that is associated with the gamenode. For example, a game node may be associated with a fast foodrestaurant. The player may emit a beam and advance the ball simply byvirtue of visiting the node and sending a message. However, the gamerules may further specify that if he makes a purchase of $5-$10 his beamstrength will be double, and so forth. The gaming platform 200 operatormay have a revenue-sharing agreement with the sponsors that areassociated with the game nodes to share in the income derived from these“beam-strength” purchases.

In embodiments, the players may have blogs on the gaming platform 200servers.

In embodiments, a plurality of still cameras, motion picture cameras,video cameras, webcams, phonecams, or some other camera type may be usedto capture still and/or motion imagery of the gaming geography (e.g.,Manhattan). The photo/video imagery may be captured in real time, attime intervals, upon request of a game administrator, upon request of ateam or player, or in response to some other command. The photo/videoimagery of the gaming geography in which a particular game is occurringmay be combined with the virtual game imagery to create a plurality ofimages in which the virtual phenomena appear to have presence within thereal world geography. In an example, a webcam atop a skyscraper in NewYork City may capture real time video imagery or still photos of the NewYork skyline. As a virtual ball game occurs with the gaming geography ofNew York City and the balls are pushed by the players, the virtualimagery of the balls, goals, and the like may be combined with the realworld imagery of New York to give players a sense of where their ballsof interest are located in relation to the physical world in which theyare playing: New York. The images combining the real and the virtualgaming space may be made available to players in real time. The imagesmay be made available over the Internet or some other networkedplatform. In embodiments, players may be able to submit real worldimagery to the gaming platform 200 to be combined with the virtualimagery. This imagery may be able to be shared between players on ateam.

In embodiments, the gaming platform 200 may support an action game thatpits a plurality of teams against one another in an attempt to maneuvervirtual balloons to a target location and stay there as long aspossible.

In embodiments, the playing field may be a real world geographicallocation, such as the Island of Manhattan, the State of Texas,Interstate 95, or some other geography. In embodiments, within theplaying field there may be located hundreds of game nodes that serve asa virtual game board. The game nodes may be associated with real world,physical locations, such as a store. A game node may be sponsored by anentity, such as a store owner or some other entity. In embodiments,within the playing field there may be located a plurality of “targetrings” that are created in a random location. The number of target ringspresent in a given game may be determine, based at least in part on thenumber of players and/or teams that are participating in the game. Eachtarget ring may be a virtual ring. The size of each virtual ring mayvary and be scalable. A ring may be, for example, two blocks indiameter; another ring in the same game may be one block in diameter;rings may fluctuate in diameter over time throughout a game's duration,and so forth.

In embodiments, an objective of the game may be for the teams to attemptto move their giant balloons into these rings in order to score points.

In embodiments, each team may select a virtual balloon to be their teammascot and avatar for the game. The balloons may large, for example,similar to the size of a Macy's Thanksgiving Parade balloon. Inembodiments, the size of a balloon may vary by the number of players ona team. In embodiments, the balloons may take a variety of shapes;clowns, rockets, planes, vegetables, etc. In embodiments, teams maycolor their balloons to further distinguish themselves and establishtheir team identity. In embodiments, teams may be able to select from anumber of licensed balloons; sports mascots, giant bottles of Coke, or aVirgin Airlines Jet to name just a few possible examples. Inembodiments, each balloon may begin the game near the starting locationof a team's founder.

In embodiments, each team may attempt to score as many points aspossible by the end of the game period. In embodiments, the length of agame may be scalable from a matter of hours, to days, weeks, months,years, or some other time frame. In embodiments, points may be scored byentering the target rings that appear randomly around the city. Duringgame play, players may interact by visiting node locations (e.g., asponsor store location) and sending a GPS encoded SMS to the servers ofthe gaming platform 200. By visiting the node and sending the message,the player may “charge” the node for his team. The charging of the nodemay have the effect of pushing the virtual balloon in a direction. Theplayers may strategically select which nodes to visit based at least inpart on the predicted effect the charging of a node will have on thedirection in which the balloon will be forced as a result of the nodecharging. Players may selectively visit nodes that serve to advance thevirtual balloon towards the ring in which the wish to deposit theballoon and, thereby, gain an advantage over the opposing team(s). Inembodiments, if multiple players charge a node simultaneously the effectmay be multiplied as opposed to simply added. For example, if twoplayers charge a node at the same time it may push the balloon the sameamount as 4 individuals, and if 10 players all charge at once the forcemay be equivalent to 100 individuals, and so forth.

In embodiments, when balloons collide they may react with exaggeratedeffects, as if they were giant rubber balls. In embodiments, the size ofeach balloon may be proportional to the number of players on it's team.In embodiments, the size of a balloon may determine how much inertia ithas. For example, larger balloons (belonging to larger teams) may beable to knock smaller balloons out of the way. However, larger balloonsmay also require more players to move them, making smaller balloons moremaneuverable.

In embodiments, teams may score points by maneuvering their balloonsinto the target rings and keeping them there. For example, every 10minutes, or some other time interval, each balloon that is the onlyballoon in a particular target ring may score 1 point. If more than oneballoon is inside the ring at the 10 minute mark, no points may beawarded. One team may have to knock the other balloons out of the ringto score points. In embodiments, once a given target ring has awarded 6points, or some other point total, to any team or combination of teams,it may disappears and a new target ring may be created somewhere in thegame play geography. Teams may be notified when a new target ringappears. At the end of the game, points may be tallied and the winnersannounced.

In embodiments, rewards may be provided to star players, winning teamsand the like by sponsors. The sponsors may be the same entities whosestores or other locations serve as game nodes during game play. Playersor teams receiving rewards may have to visit the sponsors in order topickup their rewards.

In embodiments, teams may be formed in leagues. Teams and leagues may beranked. Players may be traded, bought, waived, released, and the likefrom teams. Players may become free agents. Players may sign contractswith teams, leagues, sponsors, and the like. Players may be celebrities.Teams may have sponsors. Players or teams may have uniforms. Uniformsmay be associated with a sponsor.

In embodiments, a player may choose to increase the force with which hemay advance the virtual balloon when visiting a game node by making apurchase at the sponsor's location that is associated with the gamenode. For example, a game node may be associated with a fast foodrestaurant. The player may emit a beam and advance the balloon simply byvirtue of visiting the node and sending a message. However, the gamerules may further specify that if he makes a purchase of $5-$10 his beamstrength will be double, and so forth. The gaming platform 200 operatormay have a revenue-sharing agreement with the sponsors that areassociated with the game nodes to share in the income derived from these“beam-strength” purchases.

In embodiments, the players may have blogs on the gaming platform 200servers.

In embodiments, a plurality of still cameras, motion picture cameras,video cameras, webcams, phonecams, or some other camera type may be usedto capture still and/or motion imagery of the gaming geography (e.g.,Manhattan). The photo/video imagery may be captured in real time, attime intervals, upon request of a game administrator, upon request of ateam or player, or in response to some other command. The photo/videoimagery of the gaming geography in which a particular game is occurringmay be combined with the virtual game imagery to create a plurality ofimages in which the virtual phenomena appear to have presence within thereal world geography. In an example, a webcam atop a skyscraper in NewYork City may capture real time video imagery or still photos of the NewYork skyline. As a virtual balloon game occurs with the gaming geographyof New York City and the balloons are pushed and pulled by the players,the virtual imagery of the balloons, target rings, and the like may becombined with the real world imagery of New York to give players a senseof where their balloons of interest are located in relation to thephysical world in which they are playing: New York. The images combiningthe real and the virtual gaming space may be made available to playersin real time. The images may be made available over the Internet or someother networked platform. In embodiments, players may be able to submitreal world imagery to the gaming platform 200 to be combined with thevirtual imagery. This imagery may be able to be shared between playerson a team.

Referring to FIG. 4, in embodiments, the present invention provides amethod and system for associating a geographic location 400 with a code402, transmitting the code 410 to a wireless carrier network 104 using amobile communication facility 102, verifying the code transmissionreceipt at a geographic location 400 using a location verificationfacility 414 located at the geographic location 400, sending aconfirmation of transmission receipt 412 to the mobile communicationfacility 102, and broadcasting the verification to a network 418. Inembodiments, the broadcast of the verification to a network 418 mayresult in displaying 420 a notice of control of the geographic location400 to other users of the wireless carrier network 104. This notice mayalso be broadcast using the Internet, email, text message, phone call,or any of the other methods and systems described herein.

In embodiments, upon broadcasting of the verification, a measure isawarded based on the verification. A measure may be a location controlmeasure of a multiplayer game. A location control measure may be basedat least in part on a distance of the mobile communication facility fromthe geographic location at the time of the code transmission. A locationcontrol measure may be based at least in part on a criterion. Acriterion may be a purchase at a geographic location, a visit durationat a geographic location by a player, a fee payment made by a player, areceipt of a sponsor code transmission, or some other criterion. Asponsor code may include a coupon code, proof-of-purchase code, or someother type of sponsor code. In embodiments, a measure may be a territorycontrol measure of a multiplayer game.

In embodiments, the verification may be broadcast to a plurality ofmobile communication facility users. The verification control facilitymay use a local wireless network to identify a mobile communicationfacility of a user that is in proximity to the geographic location.

In embodiments, the game platform may be able to identify whether themobile communication facility is present at the geographic location nearthe time of entering the code.

In embodiments, a geographic location may be a virtual geographiclocation, a retail store, a landmark, a location defined by a mobilecommunication facility user, a ground level location, a subterraneanlocation, an above ground level location, or some other location.

In embodiments, the geographic location of a mobile communicationfacility may be established using triangulation, GPS, or some otherlocation finding technology.

In embodiments, a code may be associated with a game scenario or aplurality of game scenarios.

In embodiments, a code may be transmitted by calling a phone number,sending an SMS or some other form of text message, using a website orsome other means of transmission. In embodiments, transmission of a codemay invoke a fee to a player or team that is sending the code. A codetransmission fee may be billed to the account associated with the mobilecommunication facility from which the code is transmitted. Inembodiments, a code transmission receipt may be confirmed to the mobilecommunication facility.

In embodiments, a broadcast may be made using the Internet, a webpageupdate, a social networking site, an email, a text message, a wirelessprovider, a voice mail, an automated voice mail, a wireless provider andthe Internet in combination, an interactive user interface, or someother broadcast means. A broadcast may invoke a fee. An automated voicemail may be created by a user of the mobile communication facilitygaining location control of the geographic location. An interactive userinterface may include a map. A map may be a satellite image, a graphicrendering, a three-dimensional map. An interactive interface may includea blog, sponsored content, or some other type of content. Sponsoredcontent may be associated with the geographic location.

In embodiments, the present invention may enable creating a code thatmay be entered in a mobile communication facility, associating the codewith a unit of a location verification facility that may be furtherassociated with one or more of a plurality of geographic locations,establishing a geographic location of the mobile communication facility,transmitting the code from the mobile communication facility, computingwith the verification facility a location verification measureassociated with the geographic location and the mobile communicationfacility, and broadcasting the measure to a network.

Referring to FIG. 5, in embodiments, the present invention may enableassociating a mobile communication facility 102 with a plurality ofmobile communication facilities (500, 502), wherein the associationforms a multiplayer team 504, associating a code 402 with a geographiclocation 400, transmitting the code 410 using the mobile communicationfacility 102, identifying whether the mobile communication facility ispresent at the geographic location 400 near the time of entering thecode 402, and creating a first multiplayer team score 504 based at leastin part on verifying that the mobile communication facility is presentat the geographic location near the time of the code transmission.

Referring to FIG. 6, in embodiments, a first multiplayer team score 610may be aggregated 614 with a second multiplayer team score 612 from asecond code transmission 604 that is related to a second geographiclocation 600 and second code 602. A second mobile communication facility500 from the multiplayer team 504 may be used to send the second codetransmission 604. The wireless carrier network 102 may send the secondmobile communication facility 500 a verification 608 that the secondcode transmission 604 was successful. In embodiments, a plurality ofmultiplayer team scores may be created from a plurality of codetransmissions and used to form an aggregated multiplayer team score 614.Code transmissions (410, 604), and the multiplayer team scores (610,612), may derive from a single mobile communication facility visitingmultiple locations, a single mobile communication facility visiting asingle location more than once, a plurality of mobile communicationsvisiting the same location, or a plurality of mobile communicationfacilities visiting a plurality of locations.

In embodiments, an aggregated multiplayer team score may be weightedbased on a criterion. A criterion may be a purchase at a geographiclocation, a visit duration at a geographic location by a player, a feepayment made by a player, a receipt of a sponsor code transmission, orsome other criterion. A sponsor code may include a coupon code,proof-of-purchase code, or some other type of sponsor code. Inembodiments, a measure may be a territory control measure of amultiplayer game.

In embodiments, an aggregated multiplayer team score may be convertedinto a weighting of a multiplayer team's location control measure. Aweighting of the multiplayer team's location control measure maydiminish as a function of time. The diminution of the weighting of themultiplayer team's location control measure may be halted upon receiptof a third code transmission by at least one of a plurality of players'mobile communication facilities.

In embodiments, a multiplayer team's location control measure may bebroadcast to a plurality of multiplayer teams.

In embodiments, an association of a player's mobile communicationfacility with the plurality of mobile communication facilities may bemade using the Internet, a wireless provider, or some other means ofcommunication. The association may form a team.

Referring to FIG. 7, in embodiments, the present invention may enablecreating a first code 402 associated with a first location 400, a secondcode 602 associated with a second location 600, and a third code 702associated with a third location 700, lines among the three locationsdefining a perimeter of a geographic territory 710 within a gamescenario geography 714, transmitting the first, second, and third codes704 using at least one mobile communication facility that is associatedwith a multiplayer team 504, verifying location of the mobilecommunication facility upon receipt of the codes' transmissions using alocation verification facility 414, sending a transmission receiptverification 708 to the multiplayer team 504, and upon verification ofat least three codes, awarding a territory control measure for thegeographic territory 710 to an entity associated with the mobilecommunication facility, such as a multiplayer team 504. In anembodiment, the network 102 may broadcast the verification of thelocation codes' transmissions 712 to the users of the network 102. Thebroadcast may be associated with a display 718 to network users of a map720 indicating the territory that is controlled by the multiplayer team504.

In embodiments, a rival location control that is associated with alocation within a geographic territory, for example “Location 4” shownin FIG. 7, may be eliminated upon awarding territory control to a teamor individual. The rival location control may be associated with a rivalmobile communication facility in competition for location control withthe mobile communication facility.

In embodiments, the present invention may enable associating a code witha geographic location, tracking a transaction at the geographic locationand associating the code with the transaction upon verification of auser's presence at the geographic location, calculating a revenueassociated with the transaction, awarding a location control measurebased on the code and the transaction, and receiving a share of therevenue associated with the transaction.

In embodiments, a share of revenue derived from a sponsor, location,code transmission, or the like, may be retained by the gaming platform200 and/or entities associated with the platform.

In embodiments, a code associated with a geographic location may beautomatically sent for a player or team.

In embodiments, a player or team may be provided an incentive uponreceipt of the transmitted code. An incentive may be a coupon or someother incentive.

In embodiments, a transaction may be a webpage view, an onlineadvertisement conversion, an online transaction, an online surveycompletion, a visit to a geographic store location, a purchase at ageographic store location, a club enrollment, a credit card enrollment,a credit card purchase, a phone call, a text message, a viewing oftelevision content, or some other transaction type.

In embodiments, a code may be transmitted using a mobile communicationfacility, a telecommunications land line, the Internet, email, groundmail, a television, a fax, or some other means of transmission.

In embodiments, revenue may derive from advertising, a purchase ortransaction, a sponsorship, a subscription, or some other means ofrevenue creation.

FIG. 8 illustrates steps in a method for taking an action based onverification of a location of a mobile communication facility with alocation-based code. This may include at a step 802 associating ageographic location with a code; at a step 804 transmitting the codeusing a mobile communication facility; at a step 808 verifying the codetransmission receipt at a geographic location using a locationverification facility located at the geographic location; at a step 810verifying the code and at a step 812 broadcasting the verification to anetwork.

FIG. 9 shows steps in a method for computing a measure based onverification of the presence of a mobile communication facility at alocation. This may include at a step 902 creating a code that may beentered in a mobile communication facility; at a step 904 associatingthe code with a unit of a location verification facility that may befurther associated with one or more of a plurality of geographiclocations; at a step 908 establishing a geographic location of themobile communication facility; at a step 910 transmitting the code fromthe mobile communication facility; at a step 912 computing with theverification facility a location verification measure associated withthe geographic location and the mobile communication facility; and at astep 914 broadcasting the measure to a network.

FIG. 10 shows steps in a method for association of a group of mobilecommunication facilities in a team that is awarded measures based onverification of presence of the mobile communication facilities atlocations. The method may include at a step 1002 associating a mobilecommunication facility with a plurality of mobile communicationfacilities, wherein the association forms a multiplayer team; at a step1004 associating a code with a geographic location; at a step 1008transmitting the code using the mobile communication facility; at a step1010 identifying whether the mobile communication facility is present atthe geographic location near the time of entering the code; and at astep 1012 creating a first multiplayer team score based at least in parton verifying that the mobile communication facility is present at thegeographic location near the time of the code transmission.

FIG. 11 shows steps in a method for awarding a territory control measurebased on verification of presence of mobile communication facilities atlocations. The method may include at a step 1102 creating a first codeassociated with a first location, a second code associated with a secondlocation, and a third code associated with a third location, lines amongthe three locations defining at a step 1104 at least a portion of aperimeter of a geographic territory; at a step 1108 transmitting thefirst, second, and third codes using at least one mobile communicationfacility; at a step 1110 verifying location of the mobile communicationfacility upon receipt of the codes' transmissions; and at a step 1111upon verification of at least three codes, awarding a territory controlmeasure for the geographic territory to an entity associated with themobile communication facility. It may be noted that territories may betriangular, or may represent more complex geometries defined by morethan three perimeter points, such as various polygons of various regularor irregular shapes that comprise portions of a geographic map. Thus, aterritory, such as a city, may be defined by various regions that aredefined by vertices, with the locations of the vertices of a particularregion defining points that allow control over that region in a game.Upon verification of location of a mobile communication facility at avertex, or optionally by some other action, such as entry of a code,entering into a transaction, or the like, the vertex can be awarded tothe user or team associated with the mobile communication facility. Onceall vertices of a region are awarded, the region itself can be awarded.Such control of regions can be associated with a wide variety ofdifferent games, including fantasy role-playing games, territorial “wargames”, simulation games, or the like.

FIG. 12 shows steps in a method for managing revenue shares associatedwith transactions occurring at locations at which the presence of amobile communication facility is verified. The method may include at astep 1202 associating a code with a geographic location; at a step 1204tracking a transaction at the geographic location and associating thecode with the transaction upon verification of a user's presence at thegeographic location; at a step 1208 calculating a revenue associatedwith the transaction; at a step 1210 awarding a location control measurebased on the code and the transaction; and at a step 1214 managingdistribution of a share of the revenue associated with the transaction.

The elements depicted in flow charts and block diagrams throughout thefigures imply logical boundaries between the elements. However,according to software or hardware engineering practices, the depictedelements and the functions thereof may be implemented as parts of amonolithic software structure, as standalone software modules, or asmodules that employ external routines, code, services, and so forth, orany combination of these, and all such implementations are within thescope of the present disclosure. Thus, while the foregoing drawings anddescription set forth functional aspects of the disclosed systems, noparticular arrangement of software for implementing these functionalaspects should be inferred from these descriptions unless explicitlystated or otherwise clear from the context.

Similarly, it will be appreciated that the various steps identified anddescribed above may be varied, and that the order of steps may beadapted to particular applications of the techniques disclosed herein.All such variations and modifications are intended to fall within thescope of this disclosure. As such, the depiction and/or description ofan order for various steps should not be understood to require aparticular order of execution for those steps, unless required by aparticular application, or explicitly stated or otherwise clear from thecontext.

The methods or processes described above, and steps thereof, may berealized in hardware, software, or any combination of these suitable fora particular application. The hardware may include a general-purposecomputer and/or dedicated computing device. The processes may berealized in one or more microprocessors, microcontrollers, embeddedmicrocontrollers, programmable digital signal processors or otherprogrammable device, along with internal and/or external memory. Theprocesses may also, or instead, be embodied in an application specificintegrated circuit, a programmable gate array, programmable array logic,or any other device or combination of devices that may be configured toprocess electronic signals. It will further be appreciated that one ormore of the processes may be realized as computer executable codecreated using a structured programming language such as C, an objectoriented programming language such as C++, or any other high-level orlow-level programming language (including assembly languages, hardwaredescription languages, and database programming languages andtechnologies) that may be stored, compiled or interpreted to run on oneof the above devices, as well as heterogeneous combinations ofprocessors, processor architectures, or combinations of differenthardware and software.

Thus, in one aspect, each method described above and combinationsthereof may be embodied in computer executable code that, when executingon one or more computing devices, performs the steps thereof. In anotheraspect, the methods may be embodied in systems that perform the stepsthereof, and may be distributed across devices in a number of ways, orall of the functionality may be integrated into a dedicated, standalonedevice or other hardware. In another aspect, means for performing thesteps associated with the processes described above may include any ofthe hardware and/or software described above. All such permutations andcombinations are intended to fall within the scope of the presentdisclosure.

While the invention has been disclosed in connection with the preferredembodiments shown and described in detail, various modifications andimprovements thereon will become readily apparent to those skilled inthe art. Accordingly, the spirit and scope of the present invention isnot to be limited by the foregoing examples, but is to be understood inthe broadest sense allowable by law.

1-238. (canceled)
 239. A method using at least one computer with aresident computer readable medium having stored thereon non-transitoryinstructions which, when executed by a processor of the computer, causesthe processor to perform the steps of: associating a mobilecommunication facility with a plurality of mobile communicationfacilities, wherein the association forms a multiplayer team electronicdata structure; creating a first code associated with a geographiclocation; receiving the code from the mobile communication facility;verifying that the mobile communication facility is present at thegeographic location near the time of receiving the code; and updatingthe multiplayer team electronic data structure to credit a multiplayerteam score based at least in part on verifying that the mobilecommunication facility is present at the geographic location near thetime of receiving the code.
 240. The method of claim 239, wherein thegeographic location is a virtual geographic location.
 241. The method ofclaim 239, wherein the geographic location is a retail store.
 242. Themethod of claim 239, wherein the geographic location is a landmark. 243.The method of claim 239, wherein the geographic location is defined by auser of the mobile communication facility.
 244. The method of claim 239,wherein the geographic location is ground level.
 245. The method ofclaim 239, wherein the geographic location is subterranean.
 246. Themethod of claim 239, wherein the geographic location is above groundlevel.
 247. The method of claim 239, wherein the geographic location ofthe mobile communication facility is established using GPS.
 248. Themethod of claim 239, wherein the geographic location of the mobilecommunication facility is established using triangulation.
 249. A methodusing at least one computer with a resident computer readable mediumhaving stored thereon non-transitory instructions which, when executedby a processor of the computer, causes the processor to perform thesteps of: associating a code with a geographic location in a locationdata structure; verifying a user's presence at the geographic locationbased at least in part on the location of a mobile communicationfacility that is associated with the user; transmitting a coupon code tothe mobile communication facility; confirming use of the coupon code incompleting a transaction at the geographic location; calculating arevenue amount associated with the transaction; awarding a locationcontrol measure to the user based on the confirmed use of the couponcode and transaction and transforming a location control data structureto reflect the awarded location control measure; and distributing ashare of the revenue associated with the transaction to a third party.250. The method of claim 249, wherein the transaction is an onlineadvertisement conversion.
 251. The method of claim 249, wherein thetransaction is an online transaction.
 252. The method of claim 249,wherein the transaction is a purchase at a geographic store location.253. The method of claim 249, wherein the transaction is a clubenrollment.
 254. The method of claim 249, wherein the transaction is acredit card purchase.
 255. The method of claim 249, wherein thetransaction is a phone call.
 256. The method of claim 249, wherein thetransaction is a text message.
 257. The method of claim 249, wherein thetransaction is viewing television content.
 258. A method using at leastone computer with a resident computer readable medium having storedthereon non-transitory instructions which, when executed by a processorof the computer, causes the processor to perform the steps of:associating a code with a geographic location; verifying a user'spresence at the geographic location based at least in part on thelocation of a mobile communication facility that is associated with theuser; confirming a transaction at the geographic location andassociating the code with the transaction upon verification of a user'spresence at the geographic location; calculating a revenue amountassociated with the transaction; awarding a location control measure tothe user based on the code and the transaction and transforming alocation control data structure to reflect the awarded location controlmeasure; and distributing a share of the revenue associated with thetransaction to a third party.